Refrigerator



July 24, 1928. 1,678,171

H. W. TOHTZ AL REFRIGERATOR Filed March 17, 1926 K A. BON/Yfl 1.

Patented July 24, 1928.

UNITED STATES 1,678,171 PATENT OFF-ICE- HELMUTH W. 'IOHTZ AND KIRKE I.BONNELL, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

REFRIGERATOR.

Applicat ion filed March 17, 1926. Serial No. 95,168. V

This invention relates to improvements in refrigerators, and moreparticularly to the use of mechanical refrigeration in a box. of anysuitable shape. Prior to this invention,

boxes of various types such as display cases and storage receptacleshave been provided with pipe coils through which a refrigerant iscirculated and the coils are usually coated with ice or frost. In theseold refrigerators the heat must be transmitted from the air in the box,through the metal pipes and also through the coating around the pipes.The efiiciency and the capacity of the system are, therefore, reduced bythe elements which separate the refrigerant from the air in the box.Moreover, the circulation of the air depends upon a difference intemperatures, and some of the air in the box must be at a relativelyhigh temperature. One object of the invention is to produce arefrigerator comprising a box of a suitable type preferably adapted forstores or homes, and containing a duct wherein the air contacts directlywith the refrigerant, thereby increasing boththe efficiency and thecapacity of the refrigerator. A further object is to forcibly circulatethe air so as to maintain a'substantially uniform temperature in variousportions of the box.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention comprisesthe novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinaftermore specifically described and illustrated in the accompanying draw- 86ings, wherein isshown the preferred embodiment of the invention.However, it is tobe understood that the invention comprehends changes,variations-and modifications which come within the scope of the claimshereto unto appended.

In the preferred form of the invention the refrigerant is forciblyprojected into a duct within the box, so as to draw the relatively warmairintothe duct where it contacts dir rectly with-the spray ofrefrigerant and then.

passes'from the duct to the contents of the box. The refrigerant itselfis .thus used to forcibly circulate'the air in the'box. The "relatively.warm air can be-forced' downinlet at one end of a box and an outlet atthe opposite end, the inlet and outlet being near away.

in Fig. I.

the top of the box. Therelatively warm air 1s drawn into the inlet whilethe cold air is forcibly projected from the outlet. How-,

ever, owing to the rapid circulation and intense cooling, there is verylittle difference in {he temperatures at the opposite ends of the Fig. Iis a vertical section with a diagram showing the delivery of refrigerantto air conductors in two boxes.

'Fi II is a transverse section taken approximately on the line IIII inFig. I.

Fig. III is an enlarged top view-of one of the air conductors.

Fig. IV is an enlarged side elevation, partly in section, illustratingone of. the horizontally elongated air conductors, the middle portion ofthe conductor being broken A designates along horizontal box in the formof a display caseprovided with glass panels 1 and closures 1. Thearticles to be cooled Ina be supported on shelves 2 located between t eupright end walls of the box. This box has inner and outer wall memberswith insulating material 3 between them.

B designates horizontally elongated air conductors located adjacent toeach other, as shown in Fig. II, and extending approximately from end toend of the box, as shown Each air conductor B is in the form of a boxhaving a funnel-shaped outlet Tim the top of the box, and a horizontal.duct 8located at the bottom ofthe box and connecting said down-duct 4to said u -duct 6. The. ducts 4 and 6 are preferab y circular in 1cross-section, and the duct 8 is flattened as I L shown inFig. II. Thefunnel-shaped memare preferablyturned toward bers 5 and 7 each other. V

downwardly in each down-duct An ap proximately conical spray isforcibly,--projectedfrom each nozzl'eto draw air through the inlet 5 andinto the duct 4, where it con tacts with the refrigerant. The forc'e'ofthe spray pushes the air throu h theducts 8 and I Toillustrate'asuitablemeans m{f6rieib1 j'. [spray the refrigerantintofthelairconductors, we have shown a nozzlei9, extending;

no 6 and finally pro'e'cts. it rom the outlet 7. The air'isthus orceddownwardly-atone mob inlet funnels 5.

warmer air is drawn from a zone above said.

supports- The course. of the air currents will depend upon the velocityof the air, but it is obvious that thecold air is welldistributed overthe box, and that it will tend to force the relatively warm'air towardthe These funnels preferably I extend from one side of. the box, to theother,

, top of the as shown in Fig. II, and their upper edgesmay be in contactwith the top, wall of the box. The same is true of the outlet funnels 7.

The box A is provided with a suitable support 2' for articles to becooled. It contains a row box and extending from side to side of thebox. Each funnel 5 is connected to' an approximately U-s'haped airconductor com rising a down-duct; 4 extending down- War ly from the,funnel and an up-duct 6' having an outlet member 7" atits upper end.Each down-duct 4 contains a nozzle 9 from which a spray of refrigerantis forced downwardly in the duct 4' to draw the relatively warm air fromthe top of the box, the'air being forced downwardly induct 4 and thenupwardly in duct 6" to the outlet 7 where it is discharged in ahorizontalcourse higher thanthe' support 2' for the; articles to becooled. 1

A single refrigerating machine may be used to provide the refrigerantfor a. plurality of boxes, and a single pump may employed to force therefrigerant to the nozzles in each box. This is. diagrammaticallyillustrated in Fig. I, wherein 1 2 designates a refrigerating machine tomaintain 8. Supply of brine in a tank 13. A pipe 14 leads from the brinetank to. a pump 15. This apparatus may be mountedon a'basement floor 16while the boxes A and A" are located on a higher floor 17'. .The pump15. is provided with a discharge pipe 18 having branches leading to theseveral nozzles 9 and 9'.

' Valve-s 19: are located in the branches near the, pipe 18 to regulatethe delivery to the diiferent.box'es.

To provide forthe return ofbrinetothe tank 13, a returnfp'ipe '20extends from the lower ortion of, air; conductor B to a pipe 21 lea ingto the tank 13. The air conduc-- tors in the box A" are provided attheir" lower ends with brine pipes 22 leading to an inclined trough 23,and a return pipe 24 of inlet funnels 5"located at the extends from thelower end of trough 23 to the pipe 21. The brine can be thus returned bygravity from the boxes to the brine tank.

We claim:

l. A refrigerator comprising a horizontally elongated box, a support forthe articles to be cooled located between the end portions of said box,an air conductor in the form of a horizontally elongated U comprising adown-duct at one end of the box having an inlet at the top-of the box,an lip-duct at the other end having an outlet-at the top of the box anda horizontal duct located at the bottom of the box and connecting saiddown-duct to said tip-duct, a nozzle extending downwardly in saiddown-duct, a refrigerant-container, a pump whereby the refrigerant isforced through said nozzle and projected downwardly in said down-duct toforcibly circulate air from said inlet'to said outlet, the outlet end ofsaid up-duct being turned toward the inlet of said down-duct so as todischarge cold air toward said inlet, and means whereby the refrigerantis returned from said air conductor to said refrigerantcontainer.

2. A refrigerator comprising a horizontally elongated box with a supportfor the articles to be cooled located between the end portions of saidbox, and an"air conductor in the form of a horizontally elongated Ucomprising a down duct having a funnel b jected from said nozzle toforce the ai through said ducts. v

3. A refrigerator comprising a box having oppositely disposed walls andprovided with a support for the articles to be cooled, and coolingmeans-adaptedv to forcibly circulate air in said box, said cooling meansconsist-j ing of an approximately U-shaped air conductor having a downduct with an air inlet near the top of one of said walls, an up ductwith an air outlet near the top of the other.

wall, a connecting duct extending from said a down duct to said up duct,the outlet of, said up duct being turned toward the inlet of said downduct, a nozzle in said conductor,

and means whereby refrigerant is forcibly projected from said nozzle toforce air through said ducts. v Intestimony that we claim the foregoingwe hereunto affix our signatures.

-' HELMUTH W. TOHTZ.

KIRKE L. BONNELL.

